Tommy Bowden was the head coach at Clemson University from 1999 until October 13, 2008. He is a son of Bobby Bowden, former head football coach of Florida State University, against whom he has coached in games nicknamed the "Bowden Bowl." He is also a brother of Terry Bowden, currently head football coach of the University of Akron.

Before Clemson University, Bowden was the head coach at Tulane University, and an assistant at the University of Alabama, Auburn University, Duke University, the University of Kentucky, East Carolina University and, with his father, at Florida State. His 1998 Tulane squad went 12–0 and achieved a top-10 final ranking in both polls.

Bowden was hired as Clemson's head coach before the 1999 season. Bowden's Clemson teams went to a bowl game every year he coached there, except in 2004, when, after a brawl with rival South Carolina, both teams agreed to decline any invitation to a bowl game for that year. He resigned on October 13, 2008, after leading the team to a disappointing 3–3 record (1–2 ACC) at the midpoint of a season in which the Tigers had been an almost unanimous preseason pick to win their first ACC title under Bowden and were ranked #9 in the preseason polls. Assistant head coach/wide receivers coach Dabo Swinney was named as interim head coach for the remainder of the season.

Bowden attended and played football for West Virginia University from 1972 through 1976. He is married to the former Linda White and has two children, Ryan and Lauren. He is the son of former Florida State Seminoles head coach Bobby Bowden and has two sisters and three brothers, including Terry, the head coach at the University of Akron, and Jeff, who serves as an assistant coach on his brother Terry's staff.

Recent Stories on Tommy Bowden

- 2 months agoClemson head coach Dabo Swinney describes the 11th month of the year as “Championship November” when talking about season schedules, and the critical part of the 2018 schedule once again falls in that part of the year but includes the last two weekends in October. Full Story »

- 3 months agoA New Years’ Day rumble in the Superdome with a trip to the College Football Playoff National Championship on the line. It’s Clemson vs. Alabama for the third straight year. It’s Dabo Swinney’s playful exuberance against Nick Saban’s forced misery. It’s the youthful contender vs. the establishment. Yep. We can’t wait to get this one started. Full Story »

- 3 months agoJeff Scott has watched Dabo Swinney’s rise from wide receivers coach to interim head coach to full-time head coach to national championship coach. Along the way, he’s learned a lot of lessons.
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- 3 months agoThe coaching carousel has been awhirl over the last month as head coaching jobs have come open at places like Tennessee, Arkansas, Florida, Florida St., Oregon, Arizona St., Miss. St., Nebraska, and UCLA among others. Full Story »

- 4 months agoHead coach Dabo Swinney got his first taste of Clemson’s rivalry with South Carolina when he was out on the road recruiting after being hired by Tommy Bowden, and he knows the battle for the Palmetto St. is even more intense now. The good news for Clemson is that the Tigers will be healthy for the game.
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- 5 months agoClemson and Georgia Tech in the rain? Let’s go. The cross-division ACC rivals renew acquaintances Saturday night in Death Valley. Both teams have a lot play for – neither team can afford another conference loss if they want to make it to the ACC Championship Game. For Clemson, another loss pretty much crushes all of the season goals. Full Story »

- 9 months agoFather’s Day is a time to celebrate the men who have made an impact on our lives, and this year holds a little extra meaning for a man who is a father figure to an entire football team. Full Story »

- 12 months agoOnce Monday’s practice ends, only one practice will separate the Clemson football team from the annual spring game and the official end of spring practice, so head coach Dabo Swinney made sure Monday got off to a physical start. It was so physical that defensive tackle Albert Huggins ended an early confrontation with his jersey numbers hanging in tatters. Full Story »

- 1 year agoClemson head coach Dabo Swinney was back in Baptist preacher mode Tuesday afternoon when he spoke at the South Carolina Statehouse in Columbia. At one point, his speech to the gathered lawmakers elicited applause and a loud amen from the crowd. (Photo by Jared Rogers-Martin) Full Story »

- 1 year agoThe text came during a friendly back-and-forth last week about Georgia’s recruiting and what I deemed a questionable, at best, move as Kirby Smart reportedly pulled an offer from a player from Texas: “As soon as that quarterback leaves, Clemson will take a big step back.” Wrong. Full Story »

- 1 year agoDabo Swinney is so involved making sure that Clemson football players graduate, he has former players that played for the likes of Danny Ford and Tommy Bowden returning to school to get their degree. (Photo courtesy of Clemson Football Twitter) Full Story »

- 1 year agoIt was an empty bleacher kind of night in Columbia. 63-17. Just mention that score to any fan of Clemson or South Carolina, and they know the exact game you’re talking about. And they’ll either break out into a big smile or shake their head in disgust and walk away. It was that kind of game, and it was that kind of night. Full Story »

- 2 years agoOnce a receivers coach, always a receivers coach. Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney spent extra time after Wednesday’s practice working with the wide receivers, the group he coached before taking over as interim head coach following Tommy Bowden’s departure. Full Story »

- 2 years agoBrian Mance made a name for himself at Clemson University by playing with a hard-nosed and gritty attitude. He’s using that same attitude to fight a disorder that could rob him of the opportunity to coach at Wofford this season. Full Story »

- 2 years agoNo. 1 Clemson jumped out to a 20-0 lead and never looked back in defeating Wake Forest 33-13 Saturday afternoon in Death Valley on Senior Day and Military Appreciation Day. Clemson moved to 11-0 overall and 8-0 in the ACC, while Wake Forest fell to 3-8 and 1-6. Photo by Dawson / USATODAYFull Story »